The Most Desired Qualities for Short-Term Guests

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The Most Desired Qualities for Short-Term Guests

• Three Attitudes
• HumilityShow up late to a meeting
• AffirmationRefuse to be a critic
• VulnerabilityNot afraid of weakness

• Three Roles
• StudentCome as a learner
• ServantDo whatever needs to be done
• StorytellerWitness to the hope that weve
  received

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• 5 ways to prepare and enhance my life as a guest
  in another culture
• Before I arrive
• Understand some of the history, geography,
  religious life, and view of America of where Im
  going
• Know some of the local customs, especially in
  regard to the behavior ofand towardsguests
• Know a few key phrases in the local language
• Know in advance some things Id like to learn
• Already know how to delight in cultural
  differences

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The Power of Culture
Learning to Delight in Differences
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People are more alike than their
cultures

• Similar hopes
• Similar fears
• Similar basic needs
• Bearing the Image of God
• Family Resemblance
• Family Reunion

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Learning our 1st culture

• On our mothers knee
• Sayings, adages
• Mother tongue

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• To be human is to be part of a culture
• There is no such thing as a simple or
  primitive culture
• All cultures are highly complex systems for
  ordering social life and clarifying what is
• Right and wrong
• True and false
• Possible and impossible
• Acceptable and unacceptable

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Is there such a thing as the Biblical Culture (or
worldview)that is universally normative?
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Doctrinal (Cultural) Differences in Gods
Christian Family
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Universal or Contextual?
Holy Kissing Baptism Head covering
Foot washing Women teaching Braided hair, gold rings
Long-haired men Circumcision Raised hands in prayer
Give to beggars No debts Favoritism toward rich
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Most cultures reinforce their authority by
asserting that Our Values Gods ValuesOur
People Real People
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Enculturation
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If Im to delight in differencesthere, Its best
to cultivate that capacityhere!
Denomination Doctrine Devotion
Social Status Social Skills Social Interests
The In-Group My kind of people
Race Class Ethnicity Language
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We know whats at stake

• 1. Conflict over race, ethnicity, culture and
  class fractures every society
• 2. The Church in America is as (if not more)
  fractured by racialism as our society
• YET
• The world will believe in Christ
  by our love for one another John 13.35

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Cultural Differences Feed Our Deepest Conflicts
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We know the Scriptures

• If anyone is in Christ there is a new creation
  everything old has passed away see, everything
  has become new! 2 Cor 5.17
• He is our peace in his flesh he has made both
  groups into one Eph 2.14
• For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God
  through faithThere is no longer Jew or Greek,
  there is no longer slave or free, there is no
  longer male and female for all of you are one in
  Christ Jesus Gal 3.28

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We are ambassadors for Christ, entrusted with the
Gospel of Reconciliation
Were impoverished and were impoverishing the
world by our homogeneity
Short-Term Mission can contribute to the
development of long-term
multi-cultural competencies
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A biblical mandate!

• a strategic opportunity our
  capacity to maintain unity and be enriched by
  diversity is one of the most compelling proofs of
  the Gospel
• an organizational necessity any
  institution that doesnt embrace ethnic and
  cultural diversity will increasingly be
  irrelevant in the world of the future

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INDIA One Nation, 700 nations
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How Can We Co-Exist? Strategy 1 Tolerance
Tolerance
Tolerance
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Strategies 2 3 Avoidance, War
Ghettos, segregation--avoidance
Culture Wars
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Strategy 4 Eliminate Diversity through
Oppression
Totalitarian Oppression of Others
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Strategy 5 Eliminate Diversity through Cleansing
Internal WAREthnic Cleansing
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Strategy 6 Minimize Diversity through
Assimilation
Unity through Domination Melting
Pot, Cultural Hegemony
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Strategy 7 Focus Diversity through War
External WARCommon Foe
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Unity that includes and is enriched by Diversity
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Gods Kingdom Call
 

• There is one body and one Spirit,
• just as you were called to the one hope of your
  calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
• one God and Father of all, who is above all and
  through all and in all.
• Ephesians 4

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Gods Kingdom Life
  Life in the Unity of the Spirit   Therefore, I
beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to
which you have been called, with all humility and
gentleness, with patience, bearing with one
another in love, making every effort to maintain
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4  
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KINGDOM CONNECTORS
Authority of Scripture Christs uniqueness Jesus
as Savior and Lord Life in Christ Personal
faith Love for neighbours Social
action Worship, Prayer Sacraments Presence of
Gods Spirit Power of good evil Community
Belonging Witness Mission
Shared beliefs in Gods Christian family
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KINGDOM DIVERSITY
Kingdom connectors
Appreciating the differences within Gods
Christian family
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Enriched by our DifferencesStrengthened by our
DissimilarityUnited by Faith
 

• So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens,
  but you are citizens with the saints and members
  of the household of Godwith Jesus Christ as the
  cornerstone. In him the whole structure is
  joined together and grows as a holy temple in the
  Lord
• Eph. 2. 19-21

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Biblical Mandate Make Disciples of all nations
ta ethne Matt 28.18-20

• All authority in heaven earth political
  authority
• Make disciples of all nations
• cultural authority
• Teach to observe all Ive commanded
• social economic authority

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• In the Unavoidable World
• Jerusalem
• Judea
• In the Avoidable World
• Samaria
• The rest of the world

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Biblical Mandate As the Father has sent me, so
send I you (Jn 20.21)

• Incarnational ministry (Phil 2)
  kenosisemptying ourselves
• Christ-centered ministry (Eph 2.14-15) in
  his flesh made one, one new humanity, one new
  Body
• Diversity-embracing ministry (Gal 3.28, Col.
  3.11) clothed with a new self, in the image of
  God

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• Let your attitude be that of Christ Jesus Who,
  being in the very nature God, did not consider
  equality with God something to be grasped, but
  made himself nothing.

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• taking the very nature of a servant, being made
  in human likeness.
• And being found in appearance as a man, he
  humbled himself and became obedient to death---

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• even death on a cross.

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Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
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• that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
  in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and
  every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is God, to
  the glory of God the Father.

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Therefore, continue to work out your salvation
with fear and trembling, for it is God who works
in you, making you willing and able to fulfill
Gods good purpose. Phil 2. 5-15
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By the power of the Spirit we participate in
Christs entrance into peoples lives rather than
wait for them to enter into ours Humiliation
only bears the fruit of humility through
reliance on the Spirit of Christ How would you
like others to pray for you?